Fluid ejection devices, such as printheads in inkjet printing systems, may use thermal resistors or piezoelectric material membranes as actuators within fluidic chambers to eject drops of fluid (e.g., ink) through a plurality of orifices (or nozzles) and toward a print medium, such as a sheet of paper, so as to print onto the print medium.
The orifices may be formed in an orifice layer or orifice plate of the printhead. In some instances, interaction between the ink and surfaces of the orifice layer or orifice plate, including, for example, a surface around the orifices, may cause undesired effects. For example, when ink drop firing energy is higher than designed, interaction between the drop and a respective orifice may lead to ink residuals, which may tend to collect on the surface around the orifice. In addition, ink mist which may develop between the printhead and the media may also tend to deposit on the surface around the orifice. Unfortunately, the collected or deposited ink may agglomerate into puddles, which may interfere with an ejected ink drop, or prevent an orifice from properly ejecting ink drops.